Lighthouse at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Celebrates 150th Anniversary

originally built in January of 1894

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation hosted a festival on Feb. 10, 2018, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. ( U.S. Air Force Image By Airman Zoe Thacker)

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation hosted a festival, recently, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The festival, celebrating the only fully operational lighthouse owned by the Air Force, included door prizes, food and beverages, a raffle, lighthouse tours and live musical entertainment.

The lighthouse was originally built in January of 1894, at a height of 65 feet, but mariners at the time were worried that the height could not allow the lighthouse to sufficiently warn ships of the abundance of shoals offshore; so the lighthouse was moved further inland and was reconstructed to a new height of 151 feet tall.

The move and reconstruction took ten months and the lighthouse was relit in July of 1894 at its present location.

“It’s a wonderful day to be at the lighthouse,” said Jimmy, an event-goer who did not wish to provide his last name.

“It’s great that the foundation made a way to get all of us in the community together and enjoy a day of celebration while learning the lighthouse history.”

Rocky Johnson, president of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation, said the community was invited to join the celebration and help support the foundation’s mission to promote and continue to provide public access to this much treasured local historical site.

Not only was the festival meant to support the lighthouse itself, but also supported the relationship between the foundation, the community and the 45th Space Wing, according to Johnson.

“The intent has not changed, our mission is to support the wing and what they’ve done for the community,” said Johnson.

“This lighthouse is what started everything – without it nothing would be here.”

Event-goers had the opportunity to travel up the first five floors of the black-and-white building’s winding staircase. Visitors could also immerse themselves in the rich historical background of the lighthouse, as each floor was home to carious exhibits and stories from the past.

“The foundation opening the lighthouse to the public is parallel to the goals and vision of Brig. Gen. Monteith,” said Johnson.

“A symbiotic relationship between the community and the 45th Space Wing is very important in preserving the history of not only our lighthouse, but the Cape itself. Today is a demonstration of the wing’s confidence and trust within the community to open the lighthouse to the public and celebrate together.”